OK...here's my opinon FWIW: the Chinese team cheated. A number of those girls are not 16, and they know it.
I say this based on the following:
- Some of the stuff that I've read that's been uncovered about the age of these gymnasts.
- My own experience with a daughter in competitive gymnastics - there are definate advantages that are age-related in the sport.
- My memory of the old eastern block style sports-as-propaganda.
A lot of folks have said "what's the harm"? Well, consider this: my daughter, who is 9 years old, competes at a relatively low level compared to these athletes. She is currently training 18 hours a week, year round...and if she moves up to the next level, she's going to be required to train 25 hours a week.
In case anyone missed it, she's 9 years old...
Now, my wife and I are already having discussions about whether all this is particularly healthy for a girl this age. Life is about more than athletic competition, and in the great scheme of things, it ranks below a lot of other things that are important factors in becoming an intelligent, well rounded person. Having said that, she loves it...and so long as it doesn't interfere with other more important things, we're going to support it.
Now, imagine that instead of 18 or 25 hours a week, she was training 60+ hours a week. Imagine further that she's not permitted to do gymnastics, because she's projected to be above ideal height...she HAS to do something else, something that is not her first love. Oh, and she's essentially removed from the home to facilitate all this. No biggie...I'm sure that she's required to keep up her studies while all this is going on....right?
Finally, when things don't work out, when she's overtrained, injured, burned out? She's tossed on the scrap heap. Now what?
The objective? Propaganda...athletic superiority equates to cultural and political superiority. This is an old story...and cheating of all sorts and stripes is central to the plot-line. Anyone old enough to remember the old East German swimmers? Now, I'm not saying that nobody else is cheating...but what I'm talking about is INSTITUTIONALIZED cheating, not some rogue athlete or coach...and all in service of a political agenda.
Is anything about this a GOOD thing? I don't think so. I don't know that it's a good thing for anyone. I feel it's even worse when you consider how young some of these atheletes really are.
THIS is the reason that age restrictions like these are put into place. Regardless of whether you agree with it, it's the rules...and those who break the rules are cheating. Those who cheat ought to have their medals stripped, just like Marion Jones when she was caught cheating.
I hope to see it happen...but I doubt it will. It's going to come down to official documents, and when the government is in on the scam, the game is already rigged.